Automatic change-speed gearing.



APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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AUTOMATIC CHANGE SPEED BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

2 BHEET8-BHBET 2.

CHALMEBS G. HALL, OF FORT LEAVENWOBTH, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC CHANGE-SPEED GEABING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

Application filed January 18, 1912. Serial No. 671,074.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHALMERS G. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented to provide automatic mechanical means, the

actuation of which depends upon the'actual measured resistance to movement.

The improvement consists broadly speaking of a plurality of cooperating gears mounted upon a main, a secondary and a reversing shaft; said main shaft adapted to be translated in a manner tending to effect a change of ratio of the gears, said translation being caused by the resistance to movement acting through a worm screw coupling against the pressure of an adjustable balancing spring.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing the device in the high speed or direct drive condition. Fig. 2 is a face view of the drive plate 20. Fig. 3 is a partly broken section showing the elements in position of intermediate gear. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing the device in the low speed condition.

The improvement more specifically described and the parts referred to numerically consists of a casing 1 in which is mounted a main shaft 2, a secondary shaft 3 and a reversing shaft 4, said main shaft having an enlarged portion 5 with an inwardly threaded portion 6 in which is mounted a threaded tail shaft 7 having a thrust collar 8 revolubly mounted between ball bearing thrust faces 9 and 10. A balance spring 11, primary in power is mounted upon enlarged ortion 5 of the main shaft, having ball bearing thrust seats 12 and 13 the latter being adjustable by reason of a collar 14 mounted upon a threaded portion 15 of the main shaft 2. A spring 16, secondary in power, havin thrust against collars 14 and 17 respective y, collar 17 being revolubly mounted upon threaded. portion 18 of main shaft 2, sa1d latter mentioned collar having threaded outer portion 19 upon which is mounted drive plate 20 having radial teeth 21 registering with teeth 22 of the same character on the face of driven gear 23 being loosely and revolubly mounted u on the ma n shaft 2, said gear having a c amber 24 in which is housed a compression spring 25 (third in power) having thrust against the lnner face of driven gear 23 and face of driye late 20. Gear wheel 26 of the reverse tram is mounted fixedly upon shaft 2 with respect to translation and revolution by reason of limiting lugs 27 and 28 secured to casing 1 and an inward feather 29 secured to gear and adapted to admit of a reciprocating motion of main shaft through the same, by reason of a key way 30 in said shaft. Gear 31 pinned to main shaft 2 is the driven gear in the low speed train.

32 is a supporting means for end of main shaft, said means being secured to casing 1.

The main shaft has a counterbored ortion 33 adapted to secure an indepen ent revoluble tail shaft 34, said shaft having no motion of translation. Revolubly mounted upon a threaded portion 35 of main shaft 2 is drive plate 36 havin radial teeth 37 adapted to mesh with radlal teeth 38 of gear 39, said gear 39 being fixedly mounted upon tail-shaft 34 with respect to revolution but adapted to a movement of translation by means of the travel of its locking key 40 in the key way 41 in tail-shaft 34. Gear wheel 39 is provided with a chamber 40 adapted to receive collar 41 of main shaft 2. A compression spring 42 of the same power as spring 25 is mounted upon main shaft between collar 41 and drive plate 36. A hand shifting means 43 is provided for changin gear 39 from the present, that of forwar movement, to the reverse train mounted upon shaft 4. Gear 44 is fixedly mounted upon shaft 3 between supports 45 and 46 (one of which is secured to the casing) and meshing with gear 39 so as to convey power through shaft 3 to pinions 47 and 48, said pinions being mounted revolubly in a clockwise direction only on shaft 3. An overrunning arrangement (:OIIsists of collars 49 and 50 having right hand screw threads 49 and 50 on their outer surfaces engaging similar threads on inner surfaces of pinions 47 and 48, said collars 49 and 50 being mounted revolubly on shaft 3; friction washers 51 and 52 mounted loosely upon shaft 3 and operating against faces of collars 49 and 50; coil springs 53 and 54 mounted upon shaft 3 and operating against said friction washers 51 and 52; drive plates 55 and 56 with radial face teeth 57 and 58 engaging under certain conditions with simiof rotation and translation, coil springs 53' and 54 above referred to also serving to keep drive plates, when unlocked fromtheir respective pinions in the extreme out of engagement position. Fixed collars 61 and 62, 63 and 64 limit the backward motion of drive plates 55 and 56 and pinions 47 and 48 respectively. Gears 58 and 59 and idler mounted upon shaft 4 and stud 61 form the reversing system.

The operation of the device is as follows: In Fig. 1 which is the high speed or direct drive condition we will assume the motive power to be driving the main shaft in the direction indicated by the arrow on face of clutch 56, or counter-clockwise, the effect is to cause all gears to be in moti3n but the line of power is transmitted directly through the main shaft 2 and tail shaft 7 to the point of power delivery and in the case of an automobile through the differential to the wheels, which in this case, for the sake of explanation we will assume give a resistance of five hundred inch pounds (the designed safe working load for the motor directly driven). The resistance to compression of the balancing spring 11 is suflicient to prevent the quick threaded portion of the tail shaft 7 from drawing the main shaft 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, in this way allowing the drive plate 36 to remain in locked relation with drive gear 39; in the high or direct drive condition gears 47 and 48 run over with respect to shaft 3 the cause of which will be explained later, but should the resistance to torque increase by reason of a heavier load than that designed for direct drive, the tendency is for shaft 7 by reason of the action of the threaded portion of same in conjunction with the inwardly threaded portion 6 of the main shaft to cause a motion of translation in said main shaft in a direction indicated by arrow A and against the compression of prime compression spring 11. Drive plate 36 is now withdrawn from locked relation with gear 39. Gear 48 of the secondary train isrought into action withgear 23 by'virt-ue of the unlocking of drive plate 36 and gear 39 thus causing a momentary slack in the speed of the main shaft, by reason of its disconnection from the motive power, thus causing pinion 48 to correspondingly slacken in speed or to revolve counter-clockwise with respect to shaft 3 and collar 50 which collar is caused to revolve with shaft 3 by the cooperation of friction washer 52, sprin 54 and its thrust against outer wall of plate 56. Pinion 48 now travels toward drive plate 56 by reason of the counter clockwise movement on a right hand screw seat until the near edges of the radial face teeth of the pinion and the drive plate touch, further movement in the same direction imparting a counter clockwise movement to the drive plate 56 (with respect to its shaft) mounted on the left hand thread 60 with the obvious result of bringing the plate and the pinion together and seating the registering radial teeth, thus effecting the locked relation as shown in Fig. 3. A. greater space is provided between pinion 47 and its drive plate than that of pinion 48 and its plate to allow the latter to assume locked relations first. Pinion 47 is now a driven gear, revolving faster than shaft 3 and is consequently kept out of engaged position with respect to drive plate 55 as shown in Fig. 3. The drive is now from clutch 56 (shown in Figs. 1 and 4) to shaft 34 gears 39 to 44, shaft 3 to gears 48 and 23 through drive plate 20 to main shaft to pointof power delivery. Assuming the load to have further increased, the several elements take the position shown in Fig. 4, that of low gear. By a further actuation of the mechanism already described the drive is now through shaft 34 to gears 39 and 44 to shaft 3, gears 47 and 31 and on through the main shaft to point of delivery. In this condition, that of low gear, pinion 48 is still driving gear 23, but by reason of clutch 20 having been withdrawn therefrom it is revolving loosely upon main shaft. The drive plates 20, 36, 55 and 56 have a slight motion of rotation and translation upon their respective seatings which by reason of their compression springs are kept in the backward position with respect to their collars when not locked to their corresponding gears. But when the motion of translation of the main shaft 2 has been suflicient to bring either of the looking faces to within touching distance of their respective gears 23, 39, 47 or 48, the counterclockwise movement of the latter mentioned gears causes the faces to rotate independently of the main shaft 2 and of the seating collars 17, 49-and. 50, thus causing an independent movement of translation of the respective faces (by reason of the threaded portions upon which they are mounted) in a direction tending to completely lock them with their corresponding gears.

the combination of a casing, a plurality ofcooperating gears, a main, a secondary and a reversing shaft, all revolubly mounted in the said casing and adapted to carry the aforementioned gears, the said main shaft having an automatic longitudinal reciproeating motion, said motion tending to effect a change in the line of drive through the said gears as described, and means for employing the resistance to movement to effect the said change, and a balancing spring for opposing the said means.

2. In a. device of the character described, the combination of a casing, a plurality of cooperating gears, a main, a secondary and a reversing shaft all revolubly mounted in the said casing and adapted to carry the aforementioned gears, the said shaft having an enlarged end portion internally threaded, the said main shaft having an automatic longitudinal reciprocating motion, said motion tending to effect a change in the line of drive through the said gears, all as described, and an externall threaded tail shaft being fixedly mounte with respect to longitudinal movement and adapted to engage the internal threaded portion-of the main shaft in a manner tending to effect the above mentioned change in the line of drive. through the said gears mounted upon the said shafts, and a compression spring for opposing the said longitudinal reciprocating motion.

3. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a casing and a plurality of cooperating gears, a main shaft, a secondary shaft, and a reversing shaft, all revolubly mounted in the said casing and adapted to carry the aforementioned gears, the said main shaft having an automatic longitudinal reciprocating motion, said motion tending to effect a change in the line of drive through the said gears, all as described, the

said main shaft having an enlarged end portion internally threaded and a further enlarged collar portion, ball bearing revoluble limiting means arranged within the easing at the maximum points of longitudinal movement of the enlarged collar portion of the main shaft and a compression sprin mounted upon the said enlarged portion 0 the main shaft with a tendency to effect an arrangement of the cooperating gears designed to give a direct drive.

4. In a device of the.character described,

the combination of a casing, a main, :1 secondary and a reversing shaft, a plurality of cooperating gears mounted thereon, the said shafts being revolublymounted within the said casing, a screw threaded jointing means in the said main shaft admitting of a limited longitudinal adjustment and a compression balancing spring mounted upon an enlarged portion of the said shaft, and adjustable ball bearing thrust members adapted to regulate the amount of resistance in the said spring to longitudinal adjustment of the said jointing means on the main shaft,

self lockin drive plates mounted upon the main and t e secondary shafts having radial teeth, and gear wheels also havin similar radial teeth adapted by reason of the longitudinally reciprocating and revoluble main shaft to be brought into locked relation wit-h each other-and cooperate with other gears to effect certain changes in the line of drive through the said gears, as described, and compression springs'for keeping the drive plates in a rearward position with relation to their respective connecting gears when in the unlocked position.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination ofa casing, a main, a secondary and a reversing shaft, a plurality of cooperating gears mounted thereon, the said shafts being revolubly mounted within the said casing, the said main shaft being provided with automatic means tending to ef-,

feet a longitudinal reciprocating motion, the secondary shaft being'mounted above, and the reversing shaft being mounted below, a tail shaft loosely and revolubly mounted in a smooth counterbore in the main shaft admitting of the said recipro eating motion of the said main shaft, a tail shaft, a driven gear slidably mounted upon said tail shaft, a hand lever connected therewith for alternately connecting the same with the reverse. train or the ahead system from the neutral or the out of gear position, the said gear further having a circular chamber and peripheral and radial face teeth; an overhead gear meshing with the former teeth and supplying power to the counter shaft to which it is secured, pinions having peripheral and radial face teeth and threaded inner bearing surfaces, friction held collars having threaded outer surfaces and smooth inner surfaces, the latter mentioned pinions being mounted upon the threaded surfaces of the friction held collars and the whole being mounted upon the latter mentioned counter shaft, said counter shaft havin threaded ortlons thereon, drive platesv aving threa ed inner surfaces mounted thereon, the said drive plates furtween t ther having radial face teeth cooperating In testimony whereof I efiii my signature ugder celtaingonditionshwilth similar teeth;i in presence of two Witnesses.

a ove re erre to, on t e otter mentione 1 V pinions compressionvsprings disposed be- CHALMERE HALL lle said friction held collars and the Witnesses:

said drive plates, all as and for the purpose Om E. KLAUQ,

set forth. HENRY SHINDLER. 

